CHICORA — Call it a big upset in a small town on Tuesday.

And it could be the end of an era.

Political newcomer Lisa Nagy handily defeated longtime Mayor Thomas Steighner to win the Republican nomination, according to unofficial primary results.

A lead implementation specialist for the giant payroll company ADP, Inc., Nagy received 66 votes to Steighner's 22.

The apparent GOP nominee's victory is an eye-opener. After all, Nagy has no prior campaign experience. Her primary opponent has served the past quarter century and then some as mayor.

But the winner had a sense that things were breaking her way, long before the polls closed. Her tireless campaigning didn't hurt her chances either.

"Based on the feedback I was getting over the last couple of weeks," she said, "I felt pretty good."

The results surprised but did not shock Steighner, who operates a funeral home in the borough. Still, when first informed of the Nagy's win, he replied, "Good for her."

He then reflected on possible reasons for the outcome.

"Maybe the people want a change," Steighner said. "Maybe they want someone younger."

Steighner is 64; Nagy is 40.

A Chicora native, Nagy later moved to Butler and Philadelphia before returning to the borough three years ago after marrying her husband, Adam.

"Most of my family lives in and around the borough," she said. "I thought it would be cool to move back and get involved in the town itself. I thought I'd run and maybe bring new blood to the office."

Adam Nagy shared his wife's mindset and resolve and he, too, for the first time opted to run for office — borough council.

A Republican, he and Democrat Travis Twentier were the lone candidates on Tuesday's ballot for two council seats. Both now are all but certain to win election to those posts.

Meanwhile, despite her challenge, Nagy called Steighner "a wonderful man."

Her campaign focused on revitalizing the borough's economy, finding more activities for local youngsters and building a stronger sense of community among residents.

Steighner acknowledged that Nagy was a strong candidate.

"She was campaigning all day (Tuesday)," he said. "I wasn't. I had things to do, for work."

This was the first time since his election in 1982 that Steighner had faced a challenge in either the primary or general election.

There were no Democrats on the ballot for mayor. However, the results showed 16 Democratic write-in votes for the office.

It would take 10 write-ins for a candidate to win the Democratic nomination. Nagy and Steighner said they would accept the nomination, should they pull enough votes via write-in.

Should he come up short, Steighner did not rule out running again some day.

He said he has enjoyed his 27 years as a small-town mayor, and complemented the different councils he's worked with over the years.

One source of pride he has in his tenure as mayor — no tax hike in all that time.

"I always wanted to keep taxes down," he said. "And that's where they've stayed."